


Even After All This Time

by HiddenTreasures



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Meeting Again After Years Apart, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-01-19
Packaged: 2018-05-14 22:10:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5760769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiddenTreasures/pseuds/HiddenTreasures
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James finds old feelings rekindled upon seeing Rose again after years apart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Even After All This Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [perfectlyrose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/perfectlyrose/gifts).



> This was written for the lovely perfectlyrose over on Tumblr, who requested Any Doctor x Rose, exes meeting again after not speaking for years AU

Officially, they’d never broken up, they’d merely grown apart. He went off to a university in Scotland and she stayed behind in London and found a job in the shops. At first, things were going well. They tried to visit each other at least once a month, and they spoke on the phone several times a week. It worked for a little while.

After James’s first year at school, his work load progressively got heavier and more time-consuming, and their monthly visits were pushed back to whenever James was on break from school.

By the time James was applying for graduate school programs to get his doctorate in theoretical physics, they barely even spoke to each other on the phone. Facebook and other social media sites became each other’s stalking grounds as Rose worried that she was bothering James, and James worrying that Rose was getting on with her life without him.

Rose found out he’d been accepted into the University of Edinburgh’s School of Astronomy and Physics via status update. Her heart broke, but she got the message: he didn’t want her anymore. And that was fine. She was fine. She was happy for him. He could do so much better than her, and he deserved better than any life she could give him.

James checked up on Rose frequently, too, proud to see her making a life for herself in London. He was so tempted to phone her and congratulate her every time she got a new promotion, but then he remembered that she was getting on with her life without him, and he always put the phone back down. That was fine. He was fine. He was happy for her. She could do so much better than him, and she deserved better than any life he could give her.

The years passed between them in silence. Rose religiously checked on him through social media, and James did the same for Rose, but they never bothered phoning, remembering all of the missed calls and messages they’d left for each other that had gone unanswered in the past.

James finally finished up his doctorate degree, and he looked at his diploma with a twinge of sadness.

_“You’re not_ really _going to be a doctor though, are you?” Rose had teased him when he told her his life goal._

_“I am too going to be a proper doctor!” he protested, trying not to sound whiny but failing miserably as she laughed at him. “Just you watch me, Rose Tyler!”_

He missed the days where he and Rose could talk for hours about nothing at all. Most of all, he missed Rose, desperately so.

Just weeks after graduation, James was boarding a train headed to London with a bit of trepidation. He’d accepted a job offer at one of the local universities, and he was moving back home. He wanted to find Rose again, to see her again, but he was so bloody nervous. How could she still make him feel like a teenager even after all these years?

The ride passed quickly, and before he knew it, he was home. He grabbed his bags and departed the train along with the other passengers.

He stood on the platform and looked around, trying to get his bearings, when an achingly familiar voice said, “Hello, James.”

He spun around, nearly knocking over an old lady in his haste, and was suddenly looking into the eyes of the woman he’d been longing for for years.

They both stared at each other for a long moment before James couldn’t stand the distance any longer and scooped her into his arms. Rose let out a noise that was half-sob, half-giggle, and James clutched her more tightly to him. God, he’d missed her. He missed her voice, her smell, her warmth.

“Rose,” he murmured into her hair, burying his face into her neck.

“I missed you,” she mumbled into his shoulder. “God, I’ve missed you, James.”

Warmth shot through James’s chest and his heart was beat so fast it felt like he had two of them. He was bursting with hope and love, thinking maybe, just maybe, she might still love him, too.

Well, there was nothing left for him to lose. He pulled back from her, only to angle her head towards his so he could catch her lips between his. His heart nearly stopped when she didn’t do anything but stand completely still. He was about to pull back and flee the country when her lips began to move against his. Her tongue traced his lips until he opened them so she could map out his tongue. She wound her fingers through his hair, tugging at the fine strands in the way she knew he loved.

His appreciative groan was muffled by her lips, and all too soon, Rose was pulling away from him. He whimpered in protest and leaned towards her, but stopped when he heard the wolf-whistles and cheering. His face burned with embarrassment when he remembered that he and Rose were in a public area.

He glanced down at Rose, whose face was as red as his surely was, but she was smiling brightly through the tears shimmering in her eyes. She looked absolutely beautiful. Time had been good to her. She was a bit leaner, having lost the roundness of her face. Her hair looked a softer, more natural shade of blonde, and she wasn’t wearing the gallon of makeup she used to wear when they were teenagers. Blimey, she was the most beautiful person in the universe, and he couldn’t help but press his lips to hers several times in quick succession.

“I’ve missed you, Rose,” he murmured, resting his forehead against hers.

His eyes fluttered shut as Rose’s fingertips softly traced a long forgotten circuit around his face. He grabbed her hand in his and pressed his lips to her palm before twining their fingers together. Their hands still fit perfectly, and his knees nearly buckled at the overwhelming sense of peace and relief he felt.

“Want to go for chips somewhere?” he asked, hoping they were her still her favorite food. He couldn’t pass a chippie without thinking of her, and had avoided the food as much as he could for the entirety of his schooling. “Eat and talk, maybe?”

“That’d be nice,” she said, brushing her thumb against his. “There’s so much I want to say to you.”

“Me too.”

Hand in hand, James led her out of the train station, feeling as though he’d been given a second chance, and damn it all if he was going to muck it up this time.


End file.
